Method and apparatus for providing global communications interoperability

• US 6,185,205 B1
• Filed: 06/01/1998
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CDC Propriete Intellectuelle
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sharrit, John Paul, Shepard, John Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsu, Alpus H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Qureshi, Afsar M.
• Application Number:
  US09/088,008
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 370/400, 370/401, 370/463, 370/338, 370/310, 370/389, 370/465, 370/466, 370/467, 370/402, 709/230, 709/249
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

An information transfer system (ITS) (10) is capable of providing interoperability among a large number of external communications systems that each use different signal formats. The ITS (10) includes a group of interface units having a plurality of wireless interface units (12a-12n) for converting between a plurality of wireless signal formats and a common signal format and a plurality of wired interface units (14a-14n) for converting between a plurality of wired signal formats and the common signal format. In addition, the ITS (10) includes a switch (16) for selectively establishing connections between interface units in the group of interface units. Some or all of the interface units are dynamically reconfigurable for supporting new or changing signal formats.

Claims

1. An information transfer system for use in linking multiple communications systems, comprising:

a group of interface units including;

a plurality of wireless interface units each capable of converting a signal between a unique wireless signal format and a common signal format, wherein said unique wireless signal format for each of said plurality of wireless interface units is different from that of at least one other wireless interface unit in said plurality of wireless interface units, said plurality of wireless interface units each coupled to an antenna port for communication with an antenna, and

a plurality of wired interface units each capable of converting a signal between a unique wired signal format and said common signal format, wherein each of said plurality of wired interface units is coupled to a signal port for communication with an external wired communications system; and

a switch coupled to each of said interface units in said group of interface units in a manner that permits a transfer of signals having said common signal format between said switch and said interface units, said switch being configurable for selectively connecting a first interface unit in said group of interface units to a second interface unit in said group of interface units for enabling communication between said first interface unit and said second interface unit, wherein said switch is configurable for selectively connecting a third interface unit in said group of interface units to a fourth interface unit in said group of interface units for enabling communications between said third interface unit and said fourth interface unit, wherein said communications between said third interface unit and said fourth interface unit occur concurrently with said communications between said first interface unit and said second interface unit.

2. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said group of interface units includes at least one first interface unit that can be repeatedly reconfigured to operate with varying signal formats.

3. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said first interface unit is implemented using a field programmable gate array (FPGA) having an input for receiving configuration information.

4. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said first interface unit is implemented using a digital processing device having a random access memory (RAM), said digital processing device being capable of executing routines stored in said RAM, wherein said routines stored in said RAM can be modified to adapt to different signal formats.

5. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said group of interface units includes multiple first interface units.

6. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of wireless interface units includes an interface unit for converting a signal between a satellite communications format and said common signal format.

7. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of wireless interface units includes a unit for converting a signal between a code division multiple access (CDMA) based format and said common signal format.

8. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of wired interface units includes a unit for converting a signal between an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) based format and said common signal format.

9. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a channel monitor for monitoring channel quality, said channel monitor generating a channel quality signal.

10. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

means for reconfiguring an interface unit based on said channel quality signal.

11. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said information transfer system is adapted for use in a fixed location.

12. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 11, wherein:

said information transfer system is implemented in a communications base station.

13. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 11, wherein:

said information transfer system is implemented in a home.

14. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said information transfer system is located within a mobile communicator.

15. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 14, wherein:

said mobile communicator is a handheld communicator unit.

16. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a signal classifier for determining a signal format of a signal received from an external communications channel.

17. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said first interface unit and said third interface unit are the same unit.

18. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said third interface unit and said fourth interface unit are each different from said first interface unit and said second interface unit.

19. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said switch is capable of establishing a connection between a wireless interface unit and another wireless interface unit.

20. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said switch is capable of establishing a connection between a wireless interface unit and multiple wired interface units.

21. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said switch is capable of establishing a connection between a wired interface unit and multiple wireless interface units.

22. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said switch is capable of establishing a connection between multiple wired interface units and multiple wireless interface units.

23. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said switch is capable of establishing a connection between any one of the following combinations;

a wireless interface unit and a wired interface unit, a wireless interface unit and another wireless interface unit, a wired interface unit and another wired interface unit, a wireless interface unit and multiple wired interface units, and a wired interface unit and multiple wireless interface units.

24. The information transfer system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of wireless interface units includes at least three units.

25. A method for use in an information transfer system having a plurality of interface units and a switch for selectively connecting multiple interface units in said plurality of interface units together to enable communications between said multiple interface units, wherein each of said plurality of interface units is operative for converting a signal between a unique signal format and a common signal format that is common to said plurality of interface units, wherein said unique signal format for each of said plurality of interface units is different from that of at least one other interface unit in said plurality of interface units, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a signal from a first external communications system, said signal having a first signal format;

converting said signal from said first signal format to the common signal format in a first interface unit in the plurality of interface units;

determining at least one second external communications system that is to communicate with said first external communications system, said at least one second external communications system supporting at least one second signal format that is different from the first signal format;

selecting at least one second interface unit from said plurality of interface units based on said at least one second signal format; and

establishing a connection between said first interface unit and said at least one second interface unit.

26. The method, as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

said first signal format is a wireless signal format and said at least one second signal format is a wired signal format.

27. The method, as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

said first signal format and said at least one second signal format are wireless signal formats.

28. The method, as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

said step of determining includes reading request information from said signal.

29. The method, as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

said step of determining includes receiving connection information from a source external to said information transfer system.

30. The method, as claimed in claim 29, wherein:

said source external to said information transfer system includes a user of said information transfer system.

31. The method, as claimed in claim 25, further comprising:

reconfiguring a third interface unit in said plurality of interface units in response to a predetermined occurrence.

32. The method, as claimed in claim 31, wherein:

said predetermined occurrence includes a change in a signal format of an external communications system.

33. The method, as claimed in claim 31, wherein:

said predetermined occurrence includes a determination that a communication quality metric value is within a predetermined range.

34. The method, as claimed in claim 33, wherein:

said communication quality metric value includes a bit error rate (BER) value.

35. The method, as claimed in claim 31, wherein:

said third interface unit is implemented using a field programmable gate array (FPGA); and

said step of reconfiguring includes delivering a configuration file to said FPGA.

36. The method, as claimed in claim 31, wherein:

said third interface unit is implemented using a digital processing device having a random access memory (RAM) for storing at least one software routine; and

said step of reconfiguring includes delivering a new software routine to said RAM.

37. The method, as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

said step of determining includes choosing a plurality of different external communications systems, wherein at least two of said plurality of different external communications systems utilize different signal formats from one another.

38. The method, as claimed in claim 37, wherein:

said step of selecting includes selecting an interface unit for each of said different signal formats.

39. A communicator for use in communicating with multiple external communications systems utilizing different signal formats, comprising:

a group of interface units including a plurality of wireless interface units each capable of converting a signal between a unique wireless signal format and a common signal format, wherein said unique wireless signal format for each of said plurality of wireless interface units is different from that of other wireless interface units in said plurality of wireless interface units and said common signal format is common to interface units in said group of interface units, wherein each of said plurality of wireless interface units is coupled to an antenna port for communication with an antenna;

a data utilization device coupled to said group of interface units for utilizing signals having said common signal format; and

a controller, coupled to said data utilization device, comprising;

means for determining at least one external communications system with which to communicate,

means for selecting at least one interface unit associated with said at least one external communications system, and

means for controlling a transfer of signals between said data utilization device and said at least one interface unit during communication with said at least one external communications system, wherein said communicator can communicate with multiple external communications systems simultaneously.

40. The communicator, as claimed in claim 39, wherein:

said group of interface units further comprises a plurality of wired interface units each capable of converting a signal between a unique wired signal format and said common signal format, wherein each of said plurality of wired interface units is coupled to a signal port for communication with an external communications system.

41. The communicator, as claimed in claim 39, wherein said communicator is a mobile unit.

42. The communicator, as claimed in claim 41, wherein said communicator is a handheld unit.

43. The communicator, as claimed in claim 39, wherein:

said means for determining includes means for receiving commands from a user of the communicator.

44. The communicator, as claimed in claim 39, wherein:

said data utilization device includes a display for displaying received information to a user of said communicator.

45. The communicator, as claimed in claim 39, wherein:

said data utilization device includes a data processor for processing information received from said at least one external communications system.

46. The communicator, as claimed in claim 39, wherein:

said data utilization device includes switching means for use in transferring data received from a first external communications system to an interface unit corresponding to a second external communications system to effect communications between said first external communications system and said second external communications system.